The Indianapolis Colts ventured west this week for a Thursday Night Football matchup in the Mile High City against the Denver Broncos, Oct. 8. The all-time series was tied coming into the game with 14 wins a piece, and the Colts had won the last matchup in 2019. The Broncos were favored by 3 points to win the game.

Indianapolis came through in overtime to win 12-9. Besides a lengthy Broncos drive ending in a chip-shot field goal, both teams opened the game trading punts. Another Denver field goal was the next score, and didn’t come until five minutes into the second quarter. The Colts immediately followed with a promising drive, but an ill-advised Matt Ryan throw turned the ball over. Indianapolis eventually mustered a 52-yard field goal to close out the first half with the score 6-3.

After forcing a Broncos punt, the Colts drove for a game-tying field goal on their inaugural drive of the second half. Denver attempted a field goal of their own, but it was blocked by Grover Stewart. Frustration started growing when Matt Ryan threw another interception in Colts territory, and the Broncos kicked a field goal to take a 9-6 lead. Both offenses went quiet, trading punts a few times with a Russell Wilson interception. Just before the two-minute warning, the Broncos had advanced the ball into scoring position, but a throw to the end zone was picked off by Stephon Gilmore. The Colts finally pieced together another series, driving down the field in two minutes, mostly due to some great catches by Alec Pierce, despite Matt Ryan getting hit on almost every throw. They tied it with a field goal with a few seconds left, and the game went to overtime 9-9. 

The Colts won the toss and received the opening overtime kickoff. Their drive looked promising with several medium-range completions, but it eventually stalled, and Chase McLaughlin knocked a 48-yarder through the uprights. Denver received their overtime kick, got the ball into the red zone, but on a crucial fourth-and-one, Stephon Gilmore came up clutch again with a pass breakup in the end zone, getting the Colts a much-needed win.

Final: IND 12-9 DEN

Analysis

Thursday night’s game didn’t answer too many questions about a team full of questions. The defense looked fantastic, which was a welcomed surprise, but its worth is uncertain against a seemingly shoddy Broncos offense. The Colts offense was pretty miserable, but somehow seemed a little better than it has of late. There seemed to be fewer mistakes, including no fumbles lost, but Matt Ryan did throw two interceptions. The offensive line was one of the big storylines this week, as there were plenty of shifts. The rookie Bernhard Raimann got the start at left tackle, moving Matt Pryor to right tackle and Braden Smith into the right guard slot. The line didn’t hold up much better than it has so far this season, but we’ll see this week if they stick with the current lineup. All in all, a win’s a win, and Colts fans can’t complain about a win, it seems, this season.

Around the Division

This Sunday, the Houston Texans travel to Jacksonville for a divisional matchup against the Jaguars, and the Tennessee Titans go to Washington and face the Commanders. The Jaguars shouldn’t have any problems against the Texans, but any sort of opposition by the Texans helps the Colts’ chances next week. The Titans share in the three-way tie for the division lead, but they also don’t face much of a test against the Commanders. 

Looking Ahead

The Colts will have a long break ahead, then host the Jaguars next Sunday. The Colts somehow open as 2.5 point favorites despite the Jaguars’ strong start, but the betting line should adjust after this Sunday. The Jaguars could very well be in the division lead after this Sunday, so a win would be huge for the Colts in terms of taking the division lead that they were expected to have from the beginning.

Image: Dustin Bradford (Getty Images)